keep running.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Was the first thing he heard himself say over the roar of the fire, hoarse and rough through the smoke. Before he could say anything else, however, she was already pulling him out, tugging at his arms as he attempting to push at the beam with his knees, the pain searing hot through his legs till finally, after what seemed like forever, he was free. He grunted as he pushed himself up on all fours, only to look up at her with his eyes shining and his chest tight with incredulity. 

Villain saves the prince. 

He couldn’t help the choked laugh as he reached out to cup her face, a moment of insane tenderness amidst the havoc that was around them. He pressed his forehead to hers before wiping at her tears. “Misunderstood, what did I tell you.” He huffed, attempting to stand up, only for his knees to buckle and for him to come crashing down. 

“I-I can’t…” He growled, hands now gripping at her waist. 

“Please… Help me up…” 

One second of tenderness. A small smile and that dump skip of a heart beat that sent her whole body up in flames, as if the place around them wasn’t hot enough already. “Okay. Misunderstood.”

Ana tried her best to catch up before he fell, but they both toppled over. The fire was blazing and the swirling hot energy around them was so suffocating, Ana was finding it harder and harder to breathe. She fruitlessly tried to cough out the smoke that was filling her lungs, looking around to find the clearest path out. The poor girl couldn’t even remember the way she came in anymore, as the embers and debris made everything look the same. “Come on, we need to get out of here.”

The irony was not lost on her. When she finally came to after the fire, the first thought that crossed her mind was a hope that the dungeons were hit as well. That they could possibly put her in some better lodging for a while or until she completely secured that bartender position and got out but of course, that was not the case. She made her way down and saw the place untouched, because, of course it was. The cells were so far away from the main ballroom, unless all of Rosewood Manor went up in flames, her current bedspace would remain hers. 

Ana would at least say she was lucky though, as she walked back out holding the threadbare cotton hoodie in her hands. It was worn with age and probably held together by memories at this point because it was the once piece that Ana had on when she ran away from home. Granted, she had other things with her, but this article was one that stuck with her from place to place to place and the ironic thing was it was never hers to begin with. It was a piece she had borrowed from her once best friend and she always had a small wish whenever she put it on, that he was doing okay. That maybe one day she’d get to hug him again, but not any time soon. She just gripped the piece of fabric and made the trek back to the makeshift infirmary.

There weren’t that many people here, most seemed to have opted to get treatment at a hospital for their injuries but Ana woke up here. She only snuck out to grab a more comfortable piece of clothing, but she couldn’t help but see the other sad people in the room with her. The only one that caught her attention was a small brunette looking so downtrodden and small in her bed. A ghost of the person that Ana met initially.

@mczeofmemories· ( Blake x Hana )

After entrusting the rest of the ballroom’s evacuation to his fellow guards, Blake made his way back to the maze to see if there were any evacuees who had wandered there without proper help. He carefully combed his way though, breaking up couplings and threesomes with gruff orders to join the rest of the guests at their designated meeting zone, ushering them out one by one. With the current incident, a head count was almost certainly in order, and missing someone because they were too busy fucking in the gardens would get him more than an earful once everything was sorted out.

Once he was certain most of the gardens were clear, he made his way towards the front, pausing as he came across a woman sitting at a bench with the petals of one of the garden flowers scattered around her as she absentmindedly watched the blaze. Immediately Blake’s concern shot up, if only because her eerily calm reaction could have very well been shock and he couldn’t assess her injuries while she was curled up into herself like that. Whatever the situation was, whether she needed help or not, he couldn’t just leave her alone.

“Excuse me, miss?“ He called out quietly, uncertain if a firm tone would work with this one. But upon not getting a response, Blake spoke up louder. “You can’t stay here. We’re clearing out the maze.” The guard frowned then, carefully moving closer and leaning down so he could take a better look at her in the flickering lighting. It was hard to get a read on her, when his mind was running in so many directions, but he needed to focus if she truly needed help. “Miss, are you okay?”

One last petal fell to the ground but before Hana could remember which option it was, a voice broke her out of her reverie. And then it got louder and the sound irked her, pulling her away from this chaotic calm that settled inside of her, even if her lungs were scrambling to find a breath of fresh air amongst the ash and smoke. Her cheek twitched and she saw him appear in the corner of her eye and with a blink the flames that were in her eyes were gone, replaced with the image of a gentle young man. Figures.

“Do I look like I am okay?” Hana replied, calmer than what she expected due to holding in her irritation. She took a small breath, slowly counting to three to ease her brain. “I was not in the fire, just merely sitting. Do I have any scorch marks? No. Am I covered in any sort of debris? No. I am okay.”

There was something different about her. Of all the woman he’d met in his life, none of them really left the impression she had. He’d only had this moment, but it certainly was something he’d come back to think on. The water of the pool was cool, but not uncomfortable as he moved even further into the deeper end of it. Just enough that the water was resting just above his hips, watching her with a keen interest. There was something about her that kept him there, in the pool, watching her as she moved. It was safe to say that he felt particularly captivated by her.

Jett had to ponder on her question, in truth there weren’t many times he had to spend on himself. With the responsibilities of work always at the forefront of his mind. When she dipped into the water he could see her distorted reflection just beneath the surface, and as she closed in on him he kept his stance strong. He wasn’t going anywhere. He’d saved his answer for when she came back up, “Not much, work doesn’t give me much of an option.” A smirk curved the corners of his lips, his head tilting to the right just so. “Is that so?” Keeping his eyes on hers he worked to remove the leftover of his clothes. Pushing the fabric off of his body as best he could within the pool. Allowing it to float away to join the corset she’d taken off moments before. 

She had a sub explain it to her once. When Hana got fully focused on someone, her deep-set voice almost hypnotizing to the sub, even if the weak sub was already in need of orders to follow, it was almost like a trance. Her voice was smooth, like a fairy tale narrator that held all the power to stop and start the story, but always with the promise of a happily ever after at the end. 

Hana sometimes could see it, the look that the subs would see when she had them in front of a mirror. There was that part of her that understood that need for the attention and the desire for the lead. It is why Hana had this complete guilty pleasure of finding these doms that knew exactly what they were doing because it wasn’t so much of a fight for the dominance of the situation, but an equal share... at least to start.

Marie rolled her eyes, “yeah, the building is too by a raging inferno. I really just want to get away from all the crying.” She said patting the woman’s legs gently, “this is me asking nicely. I will gladly fight you for the peace and quiet but I don’t really feel like it right now.” She said her clothes ruined now from the soot and ash and her boots dirty from the dirt that had been kicked up around her. Her arms crossing over her chest, “if you’re lucky I might even let you put your head in my lap.”

matthew & ana @mczeofmemories​

it was hot. That was all he could comprehend. Fire, smoke and a pain in his legs that he tried very much to ignore. The last thing he remembered was looking up as he watched a large beam fall on top of him, and now he was on the ground, shirt pulled up to his nose as he attempted to free himself from underneath it. 

Barbecue… That’s what I’m going to be… Fuck, who would have thought… 

There was too much smoke. Too much of everything as he tried to wrench himself out of the wreckage. He glanced around in an attempt to find someone that might be able to help, only to zero in on probably the last person he expected to see. 

“Ana.” He said her name like a prayer, hoarse and soft but with such reverence he didn’t even realize it. 

There was so much going on, the stark change in the energy of the night making Ana dizzy. When it all happened, Ana was finding solace in the hallways, away from the party-goers as the maze was out of the question and the stables were a lost cause. She had hoped to a few moments to herself to relieve herself of the ache that was building inside of her because of the things she happened to see but also because of the tease of one man. But her hopes for a peaceful moment were shattered, just like the glass during the explosion. Ana was huddled over, seeing the clear blue remains of the windows all around her and feeling the breeze hit new exposed cuts on her skin. There was a loud ringing in her ears and Ana could barely make out the alarms and the screaming and she was stunned, unable to move from her spot as her eyes refocused and she saw people--guests and workers alike running like mad.

It took only a few seconds for her sense of flight to kick in. One foot in front of another, ignoring any pain and her brain telling her legs not to move. Smoke started to fill the place up but Ana beelined it for the clear night sky, grateful to get out and a lung full of fresh country air as she scanned the crowd around her. Guests in all manors of undress and more people filling out. She could still hear the horrified voices and she vaguely recalled the sight of an all-too-familiar guard with curly locks aiding in getting people out.

But with one scan of the crowd, Ana was sure he wasn’t. She waited, spinning around when her ears finally started to work again, listening to the familiar sound of his voice or to lock in on sad blue eyes. She kept waiting, away from the main exit and path, as less and less people were running out. He could have gotten out another way she reasoned, but the more crashes she her, the more embers flying up into the sky, the more Ana’s heart dropped and before she even realized it, she grabbed a discarded cloak from the ground, haphazardly forgotten in the normal chaos from before and ran back inside. A girl who used to run away was now running towards and screaming out his name over the roar of the flames and smoke.

Lilianna had no intention of actually enjoying herself at tonight’s party. Her sole focus was on hunting down one (or both) of the estate’s Head Doms and milking as much information out of them as she possibly could, all the while hopefully slipping a bit of homemade truth serum into the drinks she planned on piling them with the entire time. Rome might not have been built in a day, but Lilianna refused to sit idly by and allow the true identity of her mother’s killer to find her instead of the other way around. The damage had already been done, and even though she knew that there was nothing she could possibly do to bring her mǔqīn back to life, there was still plenty that could be done to avenge her untimely death. So, with that being said, Lilianna had two goals in mind for tonight: the first of which was to push forward with her espionage, and the second, to avoid Adrian Blackwood at all costs. The absolute last thing that she needed was to see his báirén face popping up where it didn’t belong while she was trying to do her damn job.

However, she hadn’t come to the party alone - much to Henry’s immense frustration, she had decided that Mei Mei would be her date tonight…her tiny pet pig. Lilianna hadn’t had any choice other than to bring him with her to Rosewood; her father was still struggling with the loss of his wife, and it was hard enough for him to focus on caring for himself, let alone another living creature. Besides - Mei Mei was small enough to be carried around most places, and Lilianna was quick to meet any and all startled looks of confusion when other party-goers spotted his small, spotted frame and curly tail with an icy-cold glare of her own that brought all of their potential questions to a firm and resounding halt. She had just spotted Raphael Doefoot himself descending the spiral staircase from the upper balcony, and was fully prepared to approach him, when…instead, she found herself being approached by somebody else. A stranger.

A girl. Not much younger than her, perhaps, but shorter and slighter, with wispy bangs that added to her already round, somewhat childlike face. She was very pretty, and dressed as…some sort of horned creature, perhaps? Henry would have known exactly what she was, given that he had chosen to attend the party as a Disney prince himself, but Lilianna herself wasn’t quite sure. All she knew was that she was being offered an egg tart, and Mei Mei responded before she was able to. He oinked, clearly excited, and Lilianna had to give him a gentle, but firm tut as he squirmed eagerly beneath her one arm. It was then, Lilianna realized, that the younger girl hadn’t technically approached her, but rather…had been somewhat in the way of Lilianna’s attempt to head towards the staircase. She blinked twice in surprise, but reached forward and accepted the sweet, custard-y treat nevertheless. “If you’re meant to be one of the waitstaff, then this seems quite unsanitary for you to be offering me food right from your hand,” she commented lightly, even as she broke off a piece of the tart and fed it to a very enthusiastic Mei Mei. She looked back to the raven-tressed and raven-horned brunette, then, looking her idly up and down. “My xiǎopéngyǒu doesn’t seem to mind, thankfully. In fact, I do believe you’ve thoroughly won him over, Miss…?” 

A genuine smile appeared on Ana’s face, the first in a long time, one that caused her cheeks to round out even more and felt like there were little twinkling stars in her eyes. The adorable little creature that Ana had missed in the first look stole the girl’s attention completely as she watched the little thing eagerly eat the treat and Ana felt as if everything was right in the world. There were no problems, no issues, just a cute little pig enjoying a sweet treat. Even the small dose of embarrassment of awkwardly trying to talk to this goddess of a woman was gone as somehow, a woman that held so much poise could be easily humanized with a small little pet pig.

“Ana,” she replied, her sole focus on the pig because if she were to turn her attention back, this feeling of relief might disappear. Being at the manor, Ana was used to being belittled and ignored, but she would never truly feel it. She could be in front of the most imposing male dom––which she has––and she could keep her composure for the most park. Most out of sheer dumb ignorance that was disguised as confidence, but mostly because Ana had nothing to really lose. Yet when she was faced with these beautiful women that seemed to have their whole world put together, Ana felt like she was shriveled up to nothing. A mere child in comparison to what she could be. “Ana Kansuya,” she repeated as if her name had any meaning to it. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

There was a bit of soot still stuck in the back of her throat but Hana knew there was no way she was going to get that out without water. It was no use, though, as the air was still thick with the smell of the fire and unless she wanted to travel by foot to the nearest village looking like she just crawled out from a riverbed, Hana was perfectly fine seeking some refuge in a gazebo, with the structure and the trees itself providing some form of protection. 

Plus she was further away this time and her lungs thanked her, except for the fact that she had that damn corset still on but at least she was breathing in considerably cleaner air with the wind on her side.

She dropped down on the bench, resting her head against the old wood. It felt like there was a million things going on in her mind.... but also nothing. No emotion, no concern. It was just oxygen and blood flow as she pulled herself away from having to care about other people’s safety. That was, until a figure of another approached and Hana closed her eyes, not in the mood to have to put on some show of care.

@mczeofmemories· : ariel + hana

Things got out of control way too fast. There wasn’t enough time to form a proper evacuation plan, or get a head count, or do any of the things he would have done back at the club in New York. He also wasn’t a dungeon master here, though, or a guard or in any other position of authority. But in a crisis, Ariel refused to be idle. He could still make sure people were safe, and that was what he intended to do.

He’d already started herding some people he’d found clumped a little too close to the fire, trying to move them steadily towards the forest where most other people were sheltering from the smoke. Bit by bit, he was able to help scared guests and employees get away from the growing flames. But it wasn’t enough. There were familiar faces he wanted to check on, people it would crush him to know were hurt or worse. So when he found an opening, Ariel took off from the gaggle of guests and slowly picked his way around the gardens, trying to find stragglers. One such straggler caught his eye. “Hana? Are you alright?” he called, one hand up to shield his eyes from the light of the fire.

Hana was lost in the blankness of her mind. The flames and smoke became so hypnotizing to watch and the screams all faded into blaring alarms, becoming a terrorizing version of white noise in Hana’s ears. She was lost to the chaos, one so different than the one she was enjoying so profusely before, but lost none the less. Even as she the bodies running past her became blurs of skin and soot around her, Hana stayed planted on the white marble seat. 

He was very much aware the affect he had on people, especially when he took his clothes off. It seemed she wasn’t the exception to that rule, not that he didn’t mind the attention. He couldn’t help but feel proud that he’d have grabbed it in the first place, she seemed like someone who’d be hard to impress. He missed her disappointment as he was working on freeing her from the confines of her costume. He’d step back as she worked her way out of it, seriously impressed with how tight that had been. Couldn’t imagine it had to have been comfortable to wear, and to see it floating away was a bit funny to him.

His eyes didn’t linger on the piece of clothing long, not when she was standing before him in the state of undress she was in. This time he was the one that was staring, he couldn’t help it. “Uh– Yeah, I mean, generally that’s what happens.” He cleared his throat, feeling like he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. She was asking him for a dip, but it sounded more like a promise of other things, and Jett was a simple man. “Might as well, right?” he said, moving towards her now, wading through the water of the pool. 

It was her good smile. A smile she’s learned she needed when she has to play good for the public eye. A good smile that has faked its way through interviews and press conferences and even fake dating rumors that made the public think she was just a good girl that just happened to attract trouble. But with that innocent little smile, there was only something that only her little brother learned to pick up. The wisp of a smirk where she knew she was getting her way and will continue to do so because there was nothing that Hana couldn’t make people do. 

HANA smelled the smoke before her ears tuned into the commotion. She lazily gathered herself, moving towards the manor, against the scurried traffic around her like a moth drawn to the light. She wasn’t going to put herself in danger, no, Hana was not that type of masochist, but she was drawn to the blaze. She liked the warmth and she would welcome it with open arms as it was once the thing that was almost taken away from her. A habit she’s picked up since that fateful day, to always have some sort of fire with her, whether it was a box of matches or a small lighter, she never wanted to be that cold and numb ever again.

The woman found a seat in a garden, the flowers untouched by the blaze. The sound of the explosion echoed in her brain, but it was like a loud bass drop so common from Hana’s clubbing days. She blinked slow as the sound of the alarms mixed in with the sounds of the screams of terror. Was it really that scary? Just move, she thought, one foot in front of the other to where the air was most clear. How hard could it be. Move until you could not any more.

Knees pulled up to her chest, the flames danced in her eyes as they were slightly glossed over from the smoke. It was a safe spot she was in, no one was stupidly running towards the maze, or at least she anyone with a worthy presence. Hana just watched through the broken glass, the chaos and commotion as people ran out and others ran in. She saw the guards carry bodies out, and in her scan of the mess, Hana could see one pour soul confused about where to go--the destruction obstructing all normal ways out but Hana could see. Hana could see the clear path, even amongst the smoke and debris.

“Do I have a child?” He repeated, eyebrows shooting up in amusement. “Well, none that I know of.” He responded after a moment’s thought, lips upturned as he shot her a small smirk. He felt himself relax as she took his arm, suddenly feeling immensely better knowing that he could take her away and keep her safe from the prowling doms of the maze. “I’ll definitely let you know though once I do.” 

He was surprised with Ana’s costume, if he were to be completely honest. Pleasantly surprised. She looked stunning, powerful, and Matthew enjoyed the more playful side it brought out of her. 

He was so caught up in looking at her that he didn’t realize she was suddenly so close, hand brushing away at a stray curl. He slowed down, turning to her with a small smile. “Evil witch seems harsh.” He pointed out. “Everyone has their reasons for doing things, and I’m sure Maleficent had hers. If I were being completely honest, sometimes, it’s those that wear crowns are more insidious.” 

“There’s also no daddy kink that I need to know about, right?” Ana said, first a little hesitant before shooting him a smile. Ana couldn’t even help but dwell a little on the thought of calling him daddy and she may have lingered on it for a second too long that she was thoroughly blushing and forced herself to look away. Which meant all she was seeing was his exposed chest and that made Ana’s cheeks even warmer when she looked back up to meet his eyes once again.

➳  Catarina x Ana || @mczeofmemories​

It was a wonder that after all her walking in the maze and her two sensual engagements, she hadn’t needed a pick me up sooner. But plenty of fun often leads to massive hunger and a need to recharge and that was exactly what Catarina needed at the moment. Her stamina had taken a hit but she wasn’t ready for the night to be over so the domme made her way back into the estate, towards the hall where all the food was laid out and all the drinks were arranged, ready to be consumed. It was a stunning display, any treat, meal or dessert out for picking. No expense spared, the options limitless and once again Catarina was blown away by the services Rosewood had to offer. ‘How is all this food going to be eaten? It’s so much! They better not throw away the leftovers.’ Catarina frowned at the thought. Her aforementioned awe soured into distaste, she really hoped the food would be going to those who needed it. 

It was here, amongst the vast variety of options that Catarina ran into Maleficent. It was a little bump, and Catarina hoped it was small enough that nothing spilled, still she knew she was at fault. “My apologies, I should have watched my step. I think I was too overwhelmed with the options.” Catarina took a step back and brushed off the wrinkles and imaginary dust from her own gown. “I didn’t ruin anything of yours did I?” 

She knew it was better to just keep going back and forth from the food tables, taking bits at a time to not look incredibly suspicious, but as more people started to flood into the ballroom, the less Ana wanted to be there. Even as she tried to shield her eyes from all the foreplay and more that was happening around her, Ana didn’t want to get distracted. She didn’t want to fall into the hypnosis of pleasure in where she could easily be taken advantage of at any moment if she was caught by a hungry dom. No, she wasn’t going to become a willing sub tonight, or any other night rather, but not tonight when she had freedom.

But with more people coming in, doms and subs alike, the more Ana was at risk to be sucked into some play and there was no telling how easily she was going to submit tonight as the exposure was all around her like a bad addiction. The girl’s big eyes were fixed on the food, and that was it. She held onto as much as she could without looking like a poor beggar with an armful of food, hoping to find some corner to hide in to enjoy her treats. Only she was bumped and a small cookie jumped off her plate and rolled into the abyss of the ballroom floor where Ana’s eyes couldn’t follow. 

Christian was…well, frankly, he was confused. One moment, he had been scolding the man who was yelling at the horses and yanking on their reins, and the next, some girl he hadn’t noticed was yelling at him. Christian blinked, his brows knitting together and his mouth tugging into a small frown, as he turned and looked at the young woman in confusion. What was she doing on top of one of the carriages? And why had the man–or anyone, for that matter–allowed someone clearly untrained with horses to sit astride one? It was dangerous! Christian made another mental note to find Luca or Raphael after this entire thing and implore them to see reason, but stepped away, holding a hand out to the girl he hadn’t noticed before.

“My apologies, miss, I was talking to the–man next to you,” Christian said, fixing his steely gaze once more on the man who scowled and spat on the ground next to the carriage. He turned his palm up as he held his hand out, gesturing for her to take it to help herself down. “They get spooked easily by strangers–I’ll help you down. It’s alright to be frightened; they get scared, too, but they’re a lot more powerful than we are. They just don’t know it.”

“I’m Christian, by the way. Christian Bennet.”

“What?” Ana turned and saw the other man. The larger, more burly man and her eyes widened a little, and she turned back to the nicer man (well, nicer now that he wasn’t yelling). A small ‘oh’ escaped her lips and she wasn’t sure which way she would rather face, the man that clearly could probably break her in half if he had his way with her, or the man she just yelled at for no reason. Her choice was made when the man––Christian––threw the other monster a harsher gaze and Ana aided, a taunting sticking of her tongue to help her ease her embarrassment before she got down.